


Fifth Time Lucky

by Arkada



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, And meets them all without realizing, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Tony Stark has five soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 05:19:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15187667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arkada/pseuds/Arkada
Summary: Tony Stark has five soulmates, but he gave up on finding any of them a long time ago.Then he does find them - only he's too busy dealing with Loki's alien invasion to notice. Fortunately, there's shawarma after.





	Fifth Time Lucky

**Author's Note:**

> Because we all need some 2012-era fluff. 
> 
> I do not own The Avengers now, and I didn't own them in 2015 when I actually wrote this.

Clint’s soulmate is clearly a kinky bastard.

The words _Right – better clench up, Legolas,_ imply clear as day that Clint’s soulmate doesn’t even speak to him until halfway through fucking him.

Which Clint’s okay with, so long as everybody’s consented beforehand somehow. But his soulmate had better be _great_ in bed.

~

Thor has not yet met his soulmate – or if he has, their skin did not touch. His body is bare of the deep crimson of a soul-mark, imprint of his soulmate’s first contact with him.

But he will find his soulmate when the time is right, or they will find him.

Though not born with any proof upon their bodies, all Asgardians have a mate somewhere in the Realms.

~ 

It takes Steve ages to work out what his word refers to. Who’d ever call scrawny, sickly Steven Rogers _Captain_? Unless they were mocking him, and he really doesn’t think it’s possible for a bully to be his soulmate.

But then Erskine gets him into the Army, and there’s the slimmest of chances he might make Captain one day. _Then_ there’s the serum, and then. Well. It doesn’t help as much as he thought it would.

Now _everyone_ calls him _Captain_.

~ 

Despite being raised by parents who both gave up on ever finding their soulmate, Bruce feels optimistic about finding his. _It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner_ – Bruce knows that one day, they’ll meet, and when they do, his soulmate will be polite and pleased about it.

But the words give Bruce hope for more than just his future soul-bond.

Every day and every night he struggles through his (first) PhD, he _knows_ that he’ll make it.

~ 

The Red Room cuts out all of their operatives’ words as soon as they form. Natalya barely glimpses hers, just as they appear on her calf, before she’s grabbed and dragged off for them to be removed.

Her soul isn’t hers to give away to some stranger.

Years later, Natasha thinks her words might have been about asking her name. 

~ 

Everyone has a soulmate out there – or, make that, _at least_ one. Some people have two, rare but not unheard of; three’s known to be possible, but you’ve got to look pretty hard to find an example.

Trust Tony Stark to have five.

And trust all of their words to be completely awful.

_Wanna give me a lift?_ is clearly a jerk. Seriously, the _first_ thing this person says to Tony is asking for a favor? Not, _Hi_? Not even, _Could you please give me a lift_? Nope. Asshole.

_Do not touch me again_ gives Tony the shivers, and a load of pre-emptive guilt. What the hell is he going to do to his poor, innocent soulmate that gets a reaction _that_ strong? Not to mention he’s got no idea how he’ll earn his soulmate’s forgiveness enough to touch them at all, let alone anything more.

Then there are the two plain unhelpful ones: _Mr. Stark_ , fabulous, literally hundreds of people have called him that, and _Thanks_. How is Tony supposed to spot his soulmate by them saying _Thanks_? At least they’re more polite than _Wanna give me a lift?_ is.

And then there’s the real kicker. A name, an actual name, somebody Tony should be able to find and end the waiting for _one_ of his soulmates. _Rushman, Natalie Rushman._

There’s only one problem with that.

Natalie Rushman doesn’t exist.

Tony’s tried Google. He’s tried LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, LiveJournal, MySpace. He’s hacked into birth records in every country. He’s tried fucking _Bing._ And nothing.

Oh, he’s found Natalie Rushman from Florida, Natalie Rushman the English gardener, Natalie Rushman the ninety-eight year old dementia patient, but none of them are _his_ Natalie Rushman.

At the moment, all he can hope for is that she’s not called Natalie Rushman _yet_. Maybe he’ll meet her _after_ she marries a Mr. Rushman. Or maybe she goes by her middle name.

But with _five_ soulmates to find, it’s incredibly frustrating that the one good lead Tony has gets him nowhere.

Eventually, he stops looking for any of them.

~

“Rushman, Natalie Rushman,” the redhead says, and Tony’s heart lurches in his chest before sinking to the pit of his stomach.

He’s been seeing wrong Natalie Rushmans all his life, and this is just another one. She didn't react whatsoever to his first words to her, and nobody would ignore the _chance_ to claim Tony Stark as their soulmate. Maybe she said Tony’s words; it means nothing, since he didn’t say hers.

Still. She’s pretty, and he likes the look she gave the boxing ring, so he calls her up and checks her personal file out as soon as he signs the stupid paperwork.

Funny how in all his searches for Natalie Rushman, he’s never come across this one before.

~

Well, well. Captain America in the flesh is surprisingly less frostbitten than Tony had expected. Not that he’s looking too closely, with his attention focused on the surrendered, but obviously still dangerous, demigod-alien-whatever in front of them, but if just a little of Tony’s brainpower is dedicated to memorizing the way Rogers fills out his suit, sue him.

“Mr. Stark,” Rogers says, and despite said demigod-alien-whatever, Tony’s inner fanboy manages a slight squeal of delight that _Captain America_ knows his name.

“Captain,” Tony says, and then moves straight on to business.

~

“Do not touch me again,” the big guy says, and come on, Tony’s soulmate can’t be _him_ – though he’s so damn attractive Tony wouldn’t complain too much if he were.

“Then don’t take my stuff,” Tony says back, half on autopilot, and the beefy blond doesn’t even blink at him.

Of course not – humans can’t possibly be soulmates with aliens, and who says Asgardians even have a concept of soulmates anyway, and besides, Tony’s kind of _busy_ right now!

~ 

Hearing Dr. Banner speaking to the others is like walking into a room filled with single-malt whiskey after a week of nothing but Alcopops. Tony can _breathe_ again, after being stuck around all these people with IQ’s in the mere one-hundreds.

He rants at the crowd in general a bit, a combination of venting and showing off, before turning to his fellow genius in particular.

“It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner,” he says, actually sincere about greeting someone new for the first time in probably too long, and maybe that’s why he gets carried away and gushes just slightly about Banner's research and his not-so-secret identity.

Banner’s jaw drops a little, and he glances away, overwhelmed by too much Stark charm, and just says, “Thanks.”

Man, Tony wishes Banner’s _Thanks_ was his soulmate’s _Thanks_ , but surely Banner would speak up, if it were. Tony’s not in the habit of leaping after everyone who’s ever said _Thanks_ to him and demanding to see their words, but he gets damn close with Banner.

~ 

“Wanna give me a lift?” Barton says, and it sounds sort of familiar, and maybe Tony would be able to place it if 99.99% of him wasn’t focused on the _alien army pouring out of the sky, Jesus fuck._

He can think about it later.

“Right – better clench up, Legolas,” he says, and grabs the back of Barton’s suit and takes off before the archer can even open his mouth.

~ 

They win.

They win and Tony is more exhausted, physically and mentally, than he’s ever been in his life.

He eats by virtue of putting food in his mouth and chewing until it disappears on its own, and repeating the process. Around him, the others look just about as beat, Rogers dozing, Barton and Romanoff looking at each other like they’re too tired to move their eyeballs anywhere else, Banner eating fries at a truly glacial pace and Thor horribly preoccupied by the mess that is his relationship with Loki right now.

But boy, does Tony want to shove Agent Romanoff’s face in that assessment she wrote of him, because _damn_ does he play well with these guys.

Still. He’s not prepared when Barton finally looks away from Romanoff and says, “By the way, Stark, did you notice you’re my soulmate?”

Tony splutters out a mouthful of soda and coughs, “ _What?_ ”

Fingers steady despite how tired he is, Barton peels off the thin bracers he has guarding his inner forearm, and there in narrow black writing is _Right – better clench up, Legolas_ , and that _does_ sound like something Tony would say…

“And the next second you dumped me on a rooftop,” Barton says with a shrug. “Sorry I didn’t bring it up until now, but I was kinda busy.”

“Oh god, you’re _Wanna give me a lift?_ ” Tony blurts, and clumsily yanks his pant leg up and shoves his left sock and shoe off to show those words across the top of his foot.

Clint Barton. Tony’s found one.

The others are staring at them, too numb from the battle to really react. Finally Rogers closes his mouth and works up to, “Congratulations.”

Romanoff nods, and punches Barton in the arm. “Twenty bucks. Your soulmate _is_ great in bed.”

Banner, though… something’s wrong with him, a fist white-knuckled on his thigh for no reason. Tony waves a hand in front of his face. “Earth to Brucie-Bear?”

Banner swallows, glances nervously at Tony and then at Clint, Tony again, and then at his plate. “I… really don’t want to interrupt, but…”

He stands up, shoves his jeans down his legs so fast Tony barely has time to blink at him, and runs his fingers under the words written across his thigh. “Are these yours?”

_It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner._

_Thanks_. Tony gapes, mind literally blown out his ears, and tugs his shirt up his back until he can turn around and show the single word across his shoulderblade.

“Huh,” Barton says, glancing at Banner. “We’ll have to work out some kind of schedule. I call Fridays, that’s my only day off.”

Banner’s fingers skim across his word in Tony’s skin, and Tony shivers at his soulmate’s touch. _Two_ soulmates, right here with him.

Three to go.

And he can’t help scanning the table and seeing the three Avengers left. “Anything you guys wanna tell me?”

Steve coughs. Twice. “Mine… well, it could be anyone. An awful lot of people call me _Captain_.”

Tony swallows, throat swollen with emotions he can’t even _try_ to name. “Awful lot of people call me _Mr. Stark._ ”

But it’s him. Sitting at this table, after what they’ve been through, no longer distracted by _the war they just won together_ , it has to be him.

It has to be all of them. Three out of five Avengers, it has to be all of them.

He turns to Romanoff, and she’s – crying, just barely, a glimmer of tears in her eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that, I don’t _know_ ,” she says, almost accusing. “I don’t even have them anymore, it’s – a liability, in my line of work-”

“Yeah,” Tony says, head spinning, “but if it is you, it sure explains why I never found _Rushman, Natalie Rushman._ ” He pulls up the front of his shirt, this time, to reveal the words over his ribs. “My Natalie Rushman really doesn’t exist.”

The hope in her face is a beautiful and terrible thing to see, and Tony just has to go around the table and squeeze her hand. It’s okay. He’s here now.

And then there was one.

Thor’s looking with interest at the words on Tony’s ribs, Banner’s thigh – though covered by his pants again – and on Barton’s arm. “These are human soul-marks?”

“Yeah,” Tony says, mouth going dry with panic. Thor doesn’t have any words, doesn’t have Tony’s words…

“On Asgard, it is different,” Thor says. “When we touch our soulmates for the first time, their mark settles into our skin. We bear them with us from the moment we meet – well,” he adds. “A few moments after, in truth. It takes a little time for the bond to strengthen and the mark to grow.”

Suddenly the back of Tony’s hand feels hot. “Hey, buddy… do me a favor and lose the sleeves?”

Thor glances down at his silver mail with a frown. “Why-”

“Just… just do it, okay?”

Thor shrugs, and reaches up to unbuckle some straps and complicated armory things, and detaches the first sleeve. The _wrong_ one, of course, he couldn’t just make this easy for Tony and put him out of his misery…

Thor slides off the other sleeve, and _oh_. There it is.

A deep scarlet blotch streaked across Thor’s massive bicep, four lines the thickness of fingers, slightly darker where Tony’s knuckles landed. _No hard feelings, Point Break._

Thor gazes down at his mark, mouth falling open and eyes glowing like the sun coming up. Slowly but with feeling, he pushes back from the table and stands up, and paces over to Tony.

“Mine,” he growls, and suddenly Tony’s being kissed like both their lives depend on it. It’s passionate and powerful and _right_ , they fit together perfectly, from Thor’s hand in the small of Tony’s back to Tony’s head naturally falling back to let Thor at him.

“Hey, hey,” Tony hears – Barton’s voice, amused, “hands off, that’s _mine_.”

Tony blinks his eyes open – he has no memory of closing them – to see Thor glancing over at Barton – no, Clint, now – and then the rest of them, Steve and Natasha and Bruce all standing like they don’t know what to do with themselves.

“Ours, I think,” Thor says, softly, and gets nods all around.

“Ladies first,” Natasha says, deadly assassin confidence returned, bumps Thor aside with her hip and slots herself against Tony instead, hand pulling him down to kiss her. She’s just as perfect as Thor, their bodies meeting like they were made for each other, her mouth warm and welcoming, skin soft where Tony’s still flushed from Thor’s beard burn.

“Age before beauty?” Steve tries, and Clint snorts.

“You’re not really a hundred, shut up.”

Tony stops kissing Natasha and she smiles up at him – small and sweet and genuine, a thrill of excitement behind her eyes – before turning to the other three and spreading his arms. “ _Somebody_ has to go next.”

Steve and Bruce and Clint shuffle their feet and glance at each other, all trying to be courteous and let the others go first.

“ _Boys_ ,” Natasha mutters, and simply shoves Tony in the back, pushing him straight into Clint, who’s closest.

It’s good enough for Clint, who likes to kiss with a lot of tongue, and Tony could let him do that all day. He’s hurt, though, Tony can taste something that’s definitely Clint’s blood, and who said it was okay for his soulmate to get hurt?

Clint pulls back and they stand eye to eye. “I just want you all to know,” Clint says, loud enough to carry, “I saw him first.”

“Technically, Natasha saw me first,” Tony counters. “Your words actually came _last_ , birdbrain.”

“Fine, but I _got_ you first.”

“Right, are we all clear on that? Clint here is the pushiest.”

And Steve’s probably the prettiest, Tony decides, and makes a beeline for him. And now that it's down to the two of them, making it official and having their moment, Steve gets nervous.

“Back in my day, two fellas weren’t supposed to… anything. Even if they were soulmates.” He gives a small, strained laugh, but meets Tony’s eyes with warmth. “I think this is the first time I’m really glad I’m _not_ back in my day.”

“Pleased to hear it, Cap,” Tony murmurs, and this kiss _he_ starts. 

It’s careful, cautious – he can feel Steve wants to go slow, the artist in him savoring every second, every sensation. Tony obliges, leaning into Steve with his hands on his shoulders, humming happily when Steve’s own hands come to Tony’s waist. Steve’s a novice kisser but that’s okay, he’s a quick learner, and Tony looks forward to lessons. Lots and lots of lessons.

Steve, serum at work, doesn’t appear to need to breathe, but eventually Tony sure does, and he drops back. Steve’s cheeks are glowing red, his eyes shut, tongue flicking over his lips like he can still taste Tony there.

Definitely the prettiest.

And then all eyes are on him and Bruce, Tony’s other soulmates standing back and giving the last of them his turn.

“You ready for this?” Tony feels compelled to ask, because if Bruce wants privacy Tony will make the others shove off and learn to share, but Bruce nods.

“Just go slow. I can’t get – too excited.”

Tony nods. “Not planning on an appearance, buddy. Don't get me wrong, your green He-Man impression’s great, but _you’re_ my soulmate.”

Bruce snorts surprised laughter, and Tony leans in and kisses it right out of his mouth. 

Bruce likes having Tony take the lead, responding to everything Tony starts, making him come up with all the ideas. Tony runs a hand through Bruce’s curls, likes it, and goes back and does it again. Bruce moans softly, and that’s a _great_ noise; Tony plans to hear a lot more of it. Bruce runs hot, hotter than any of the others, and Tony wonders if that’s because of the Hulk or if Bruce just naturally has a high body temperature, and how many naked science experiments they’ll have to do before he finds out.

He lets Bruce go – last but not least, none of them can be _least_ – and steps back to look across them all. Thor, big and strong in his heart as well as his body; Steve, fierce and honest and stopping at nothing; Bruce, brilliant and brave, coming back when they needed him; Clint, sassy and sharp with an eye for detail; and Natasha, loyal to her friends and opening up to him.

Tony found them. All of them.

“You were right about that schedule, Agent Barton,” Bruce says, scratching his head. “We’ll need a roster or something…”

“Guys,” Tony says, and grins. “Trust me. There’s _plenty_ to go around.”

**Author's Note:**

> Three years ago, I'm pretty sure it was [Haldane](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Haldane/) who watched The Avengers with me, and we realized how terrible all of the Avengers' first words to Tony would be as soulmate marks.
> 
> My tumblr is [here](http://ao3-arkada.tumblr.com/) if you like tumblrs.


End file.
